Apparatus for applying center spots to crown cap cushions



April 23, 1940- e. F. M. PEDERSEN' APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CENTER SPOTS TO CROWN CAP CUSHIONS Filed Spt. 9, 1939 In vemor GUNNER FREDERIK MARINUS PEDERSEH ATTORNEYS.

Patented A r. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CENTER. SPOTS T CROWN CAP CUSHIONS Gunner Frederik Marinus Pedersen, Copenhagen,

Denmark, assignor to Dansk Grown-Cork.

Fabrik ved Aage Weybye-Lassen,. Copenhagen,

Denmark Application September 9, 1939, Serial No. 294,132.

In Denmark 2 Claims.

an incision into which a preformed edge of theblank can enter.

My present invention .however, relates to a machine for attaching such round blanks in the tightening disc, without preforming the edge of said blank as heretofore, and the-invention has for its object to stamp, in one working stage,

the blank from a strip or sheet of metal foil, or other suitable sheet material, and depress or cut an edge into the tightening disc which prevlously has been deposited in the capsule, then to depress the blank into the incision so produced, and to maintain the blank in the depressed position, while the cutter is raised somewhat from the top face of the tightening disc, and at the time to exert a pressure on the centre of the tightening disc which pressure produces a stress in the material causing the originally cylindrical out now to have an inward bent edge, by which means the blank will be retained in position, when also the piston commences to ascend, after 1 the cutter has been raised somewhat.

By the descent of the piston, the tightening disc 20 will become crushed or permanently deformed, the outer edge of the depression becoming somewhat inclined, i. e. shaped about like a truncated cone so as to maintain the blank in position, while the central part of the tightening disc will be shaped according to the bottom surface of the piston.

One construction of the invention is shown the drawing in which Fig.1 shows the machine in side elevation,

partly in section,

Fig. 2 the same in front elevation,

Fig. 3 a section, to a larger scale, of the cutter and'piston' of the machine, in their position just above the strip of metal foil, or other suitable sheet or strip material,

Fig. 4 sections, similarly to a larger scale, of the cutter and the piston, in their lower extreme position,

Fig. 5 the position of the cutter and the piston March 1. 19a: (01. 113-80) tightening disc, while the piston is still resting or the round blank, and

Fig. 6 the finished crown-cork.

On the drawing, all the parts not needed for understanding the invention are omitted. i is the base plate of the machine, 2 a post, 3 a bracket forming bearings for two double-armed levers 4, 5 and 6, I, the free ends 4 and 6 of which are interconnected by means of a rod 8, the lower pivoted connection of which to the arm 6 allows a certain play, for instance in that the'hole l0 serving to co-operate with the pivot pin 9 of the. arm 6 is oblong. Further, the part of the arm 6 that is outside of its pivot pin II is shorter than the corresponding part of the arm 4, 5 which is pivoted about a pin I2.

In the post 2 on the base plate I, a cutter l4, mounted in a head 22, is adapted to slide vertically which cutter is connected at the top of the head 22 by means of a link 23 to the arm 5 and, at the bottom, has a circular cutting edge l5. Further, the cutter I4 is hollow, and encircles a piston i6 which receives a motion, independent of the cutter 14, in that the piston is linked to the arm 1. Besides, a small helical spring i1 is inserted between the cutter andthe piston.

Below the cutter and the piston travels a strip l8 of a suitable sheet material, for instance metal foil, paper or the like, see Figs. 3, 4 and 5, from which the blanks are cut, in that the cutting edge I5 of the cutter passes through a bottom plate l9 below which a metal cap or capsule 2|, fitted previously with a tightening disc of cork or other suitable material, is disposed and mechanically guided in such a manner that the blank will be attached to the cork disc 20, exactly at the centre of the latter. The tightening disc 20, above referred to, is sometimesspoken of as a cork seal or liner.-

The machine acts in the following manner:

A strip of metal foil, paper or the like is preferably introduced automatically by a feeding mechanism which is not shown on the drawing, and does not form any part of the invention. The strip I8 is moved along the top surface of the bottom plate l9, and the cap or capsules 2| with the tightening discs 20 inserted therein, are similarly introduced automatically, in such a manner that whenever the cutter i4 and the piston l6 de'scend, a capsule will be situated accurately below the hole in the bottom plate l9.

when now the cutter and the piston descend, the edge ii of the cutter M will produce a blank or slot 24 which will be sheared or stamped out,

when the cutter passes the bottom plate, and will be carried down to the tightening disc 20 of the capsule by means of both the cutter and piston acting as a unit, as shown in the drawing.

The cutting edge [5 of the cutter M will now penetrate down into the tightening disc 20, and will produce in the same a V-shaped circular incision with a vertical outer wall and inclined inner wall. The stamped blank 24 which is of exactly the same diameter as the cutting edge, and being supported over the entire upper surface thereof, by the cutter and piston, as shown in Figure 4, will therefore fit accurately in the incision. When then the cutter I4 is raised, the piston l6 will not commence to ascend simultaneously with the cutter H, but owing to the slot III the piston it will not commence its ascent until the cutter I4 has been raised above the tightening disc, and by the pressure exerted by the piston 16 the disc will expand somewhat, in such a manner that the vertical outer wall of the incision will now become inclined inward, and will maintain the edge of the blank in position.

From Figure 5 of the drawing, it will beseen how the piston i9 remains in contact with the central surface of the disc 20 after the cutter i4 and piston I6 have simultaneously cut the -disc and positioned the blank therein as shown in Figure 4. Thereafter the piston I6 presses the blank and the portion of the disc in contact therewith into a plane below that occupied originally by the surface of said disc. By a comparison of the shape of the outer wall of the disc 20 as shown in Figure 5 with the shape of the same as shown in Figure 4, the extent to which the disc 20 is crushed and expanded and the outer wall of the incision is inclined inwardly, becomes apparent. Now when the piston I9 is elevated from the position shown in Figure 5 and the spot or blank is finally attached to the disc 20 in accordance with the teachings of my invention, as shown in Figure 6, it will be seen that the central portion of the-disc 20 has been permanently depressed and that the exposed or upper surfaces of both the blank and that portion of the disc surrounding the same are disposed in substantially the same plane.

While normally it will not be necessary to use a cementing of the blank to the tightening disc, it may be preferable to employ a suitable adhesive substance, when discs of certain materials are used.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for attaching round blanks to bottle caps having disposed therein a tightening disc, punch means for stamping blanks from strip material; said punch means comprising a hollow cylinder having a circular cutting edge, a circular piston movably mounted within said cylinder in axial alignment therewith, said piston having a head adapted normally to fit within the cylinder with the cutting edge thereof projecting below said head, and die means through which said cylinder and piston as a unit is adapted to move vertically downwardly and cut round blanks from sheet material, means for supporting a bottle cap having a tightening disc disposed therein below said die means and in axial alignment with said cylinder, in combination with mechanism for operating said cylinder and piston as a unit to cut a blank from material disposed below said cylinder and piston and thereafter simultaneously make a circular incision in the tightening disc of the bottle cap and press said blank into said incision and into engagement with said disc, said mechanism comprising means for successively withdrawing said cylinder and piston from en- "'gagement with said blank and tightening disc,

whereby said piston pressably dwells upon said blank and disc after the cutting edge of the cylinder has been withdrawn therefrom to deform the material of said disc and cause the same to retain the blank therein.

2. In a machine for attaching roundblanks to bottle caps having disposed therein a tightening .disc, annular cutter means for stamping blanks from strip material; said cutter means comprising a hollow cylinder having a circular cutting edge of V-shaped cross-section, a circular piston movably mounted within said cylinder in axial alignment therewith, said piston having a head shaped like a truncated cone and adapted normally to fit within the cylinder with the, cutting edge thereof. projecting below said head, and a bottom plate forming an opening through which said cylinder and piston as a unit is adapted to move vertically downwardly, said plate having a passage disposed transversely of said opening to receive strip material from which round blanks are adapted to be out upon the downward movement of said cylinder and piston; and means for supporting a bottle cap with a tightening .disc disposed therein below said bottom plate and in axial alignment with said opening, in combination with mechanism for forcing said cylinder and piston as a unit through the opening in said bottom plate to cut a blank from material disposed in the passage of said bottom plate and thereafter simultaneously make a circular incision in the tightening disc having 'a vertical outer wall and 

